The Girl's Dragon, Toothless
by LittleMissWolfie
Summary: Hiccup is an outcast in her Viking village of Berk. She's scrawny and soft...and let a Dragon escape. As the bond between her and Toothless grows, so does the danger of losing herself. Not to mention Asher, Berk's teenage heartthrob. Will Hiccup survive this adventure? Fem!Hiccup/Male!Astrid
1. Berk

** Hey there, people! This story is going to be in Fem!Hiccup's P.O.V. the entire time. If I get enough encouragement and ideas, I'll write spinoffs through the other characters' P.O.V.s. Please enjoy!**

** BTW: Asher=Astrid, as if you didn't know.**

Berk

Welcome to Berk. It snows nine months out of the year, and hails the other three. It's an old village, but every single building is new.

Why? Well, you'll see in just a moment.

Berk is a horrible, drab place full of crazy Vikings. I am one of them, but not as crazy or Viking as the rest. My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I am sixteen years old…

…and the only daughter of our leader, Stoic the Vast.

The worst thing about Berk, though, is the pests.

You see, some places have mosquitos or tarantulas. We have—

"Dragons," I breathe, slamming the door as a Monstrous Nightmare shoots a fireball towards me. I doubt I'd make a good meal for him, though—I'm very slim. I weigh less than a boy half my age in the village.

I rush out of my house, which is now burning.

Do you see why all of our buildings are new?

I start to run to the smith. Around me, I hear Vikings cry, "Hiccup?" "Why are you out?" "Get inside, Whelp!" I ignore them.

Inside the smith is my mentor, Gobber the Belch. He's one of Dad's friends. His right foot and left hand are missing due to two separate Dragon attacks on him. He runs the smith, and also teaches new recruits how to kill Dragons.

"Hello, Miss Hiccup!" Gobber says brightly, as if half the village isn't already ablaze. "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Yeah, lovely," I say sarcastically. I grab all the weapons from one of the shelves and dunk them on the counter for the fighting Vikings to grab quickly.

I looked out the window and saw my fellow Berk teens. First was Snotlout, my cousin. He was short, dumb, and very burly. He had black hair mashed under his Viking helmet and a stupid looking face. Then the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Ruff's a girl and Tuff's a boy, but, other than that, they're just alike. Fishlegs was waddling to keep up with the rest, his outstanding weight keeping him well behind the group.

Then, the one in the center.

Asher Hoffander.

He is, in a word, perfect. He's tall, muscly, and has flowing blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes ever. I've had a crush on him since I could see, but he'd never notice me. I absentmindedly finger my long, reddish brown hair. It's flat and dull, but long enough for me to sit on.

Asher probably likes blondes, too. Why not? They're prettier than me, anyway. People have been talking about a potential arranged marriage between Asher and Ruffnut, the only blonde girl in the village.

Besides, even if I was blonde, he'd never go for me. I'm short, scrawny, and get sick every other week.

"Hey, Gobber?" I ask, cheeks aflame. I'm sure _that_ goes along quite well with the motley of freckles outlining my eyes, which are a blue-green color.

"What 'tis is, Dear?" he asks absentmindedly, stroking his blond moustache.

"Uh, do you think I could…go outside?"

Gobber does a double take. "No, Hiccup! Yer father would kill me if I let you out." He gestured to the assortment of weapons being snatched up. "Ye can't use a hammer, ye can't swing an axe, and ye can't use one o' these!" He held up a bolas, which was quickly ripped from his hands by a burly Viking and thrown at a Deadly Nadder in the sky.

"That," I interrupt, wheeling one of my inventions out of the dark corner of the shop, "is why I made this to throw it for me!" I pull the lever, intending to show it off, but the bolas hits another Viking in the head, knocking him unconscious. I laugh nervously. "Mild calibration issue," I defend.

Gobber hooks my tunic and moves me away from the door. "I don't think so, Missy. Yer stayin' in here, where yer safe."

"Please, Gobber!" I plead, actually getting on my knees.

He growled, "If ye want t' get out there and kill Dragons, ye've got t' stop all of…_this_." At _this_, he made a vague hand gesture.

"You just gestured to all of me," I point out.

"Yes!" he cries, as if I've just solved the mystery of life itself. "Stop bein' all o' you!"

I groan, take a sword from him, and start to sharpen it. I think about the possibilities. If I were to kill a Nadder, it'd at least get me noticed. A Gronkle might get me a boyfriend (hopefully Asher, but I'm not that choosey.). A Zippleback? Two heads means twice the status. Then there's the Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go for those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.

Just as I think that, one bursts into flames at the top of the watch tower. Asher and his group refill their buckets and race to put the flames out, leaving me watching. I almost don't notice the drool coming out of my mouth.

"Night Fury!" a Viking calls. I wouldn't be surprised if he's wetting himself.

No one has ever seen a Night Fury. They never reveal themselves, never steal food—

**BOOM! **There goes the lighthouse.

-and never miss their target.

No one's ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm gonna be the first.

I can see it now. I drag the Night Fury's limp carcass into town, where the villagers applaud me. My father is crying out of joy. Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs bombard me with date invitations. Just as I'm about to reject them all, Asher pushes through and says, "Sorry, boys, but she's already taken," and kisses me.

I'm snapped out of my daydream as Gobber says to me, "Man the fort, Hiccup. They need me to fight." He rushes out of the shop, waving his newly-applied axe prosthetic wildly and screaming.

I take the chance to wheel my invention out to the only quiet part of town, pushing through the confused and worried Vikings. When I finally got an open area, I looked through the viewfinder. "C'mon, give me something to shoot at."

The sky is an inky black, dotted with the tiny points of lights known as stars. I heard a sonic boom as the Night Fury hits another target. I get a faint black silhouette against the blazing orange fire that was once the watch tower. I release the lever and shoot.

The force of the shot knocks me to the ground, making me grunt. I ignore the shock my butt just got and listen intently. There! The cry! I follow the sound until it lands, somewhere close to Raven Point.

"I got a Night Fury," I whisper, disbelievingly. Then I shout, "Yes! I just took down a Night Fury! Did _anybody_ see that?" I turn around, expecting to see a sea of cheering Vikings, but I only see the Nightmare. "Except for you," I say blandly, pointing at the Dragon.

It opens its mouth.

I do the only thing I can think of. I take off down the road, screaming. The Dragon chases me—why, I have no clue. I probably don't taste good. Too thin, you know.

I've caught the attention of Asher, who was chasing the Nightmare. He knocks me to the ground and attempts to distract the Dragon. "Get out of here, Hiccup! The last thing we need is an angry Stoic!"

I'd jump off a cliff if he told me to.

I nod and take off down the road again, still screaming for help—this time, for Asher. No matter how amazing he is, there's no way a seventeen-year-old who hasn't been through Dragon Training could take on a Nightmare by himself.

I attract the attention of my father, who immediately yells, "Who let Hiccup outside during a raid?" The sea of fighting Vikings shake their heads to say it wasn't them. Father turns back to me. "What 'tis it, Hiccup? I'm busy!" His long, red hair is singed at the ends from the Dragons' fire and his green eyes had a hint of bloodlust hiding in the corners. Though I won't admit it, my father scares me sometimes.

"Asher…" I pant, doubled over. "Asher…up the road…Nightmare…alone!"

His eyes widen. He barks to a few other Vikings, "Follow me! Hoffander's boy is in trouble!" They start to run towards where Asher is battling the Nightmare alone, and I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. If my father was there, Asher would be fine.

I feel a sudden jerk on the back of my tunic, lifting me into the air. "I thought I told ye t' stay INSIDE," Gobber yells, his eyes alit. "Why did ye leave the smith?"

"I did it, Gobber!" I say enthusiastically. "I took down a Night Fury! It crashed near Raven Point!"

Father and his group already finished up the Nightmare and were approaching when my claim rang out. Every Viking in the vicinity, excluding Asher, Father, and Gobber, double over laughing. Asher and Father facepalm. I'm sure Gobber would too, if not for his only free hand being in the form of an axe. He settled for giving me a doubtful look.

"It's true!" I defend. "It really happened this time, Dad! I used my new invention to throw the bolas at it! You gotta believe me!"

Dad groans and looks at Asher. "Good work, m'boy. I feel bad for asking this, since ye've already helped us so much, but could ya escort Hiccup home? We need t' have a meeting, so I can't."

Asher nods. "Of course, sir." Oh, his voice just makes me melt like chocolate. Gobber lowers me to the ground, letting Asher take my elbow and lead me towards my house.

A few moments later, Asher and I arrive at my home, which now has a gaping hole in the roof. I hope it doesn't rain tonight.

He lets go of my elbow. "You need to be more careful, Hiccup," he reprimands, looking worried. "You could have been killed by that Nightmare tonight!" The sun is just starting to peek up behind the mountain range a few miles away from the village, catching in his hair and turning it golden. I flush and turn away.

Asher groans at me. "Fine, be like that. I'll see you around." He spun on his heel and stalks back to the village.

As if I'm going to stay inside! I've gotta find that Dragon.

**In the next chapter: Hiccup finds the Night Fury, Asher is even more epic than he already is, and Stoic decides to send Hiccup to Dragon Training. See you soon!**


	2. The Downed Dragon

The Downed Dragon

That feat was easier said than done. Contrary to my beliefs, Asher had stayed near my house for a full half hour before he was convinced I wasn't going anywhere. I pretended to be busy cleaning, moving furniture, doing cartwheels—anything to make him go away. As soon as his figure disappeared over the hill, I grabbed my notebook and dagger and dashed out the back door.

Another half hour later, the sun has completely risen. I still can't find that damn Dragon! "The gods must hate me," I mutter to myself as I make another X on the map of Raven Point. "Some people lose a dagger or a helmet. I manage to lose an entire DRAGON!" Frustrated, I kick a tree trunk.

The tree trunk apparently didn't appreciate the sentiment, as a twig comes flying at me. It's as accurate as an axe thrown by Asher, and I get a long cut across my forehead. "Shit!" I cry. "Dad's gonna go ballistic!"

Only then do I notice why the twig came soaring through the air. The tree is split in half, the left half snapped and leaning against the right half. Upon further inspection, I find that there is a trail of dirt and broken trees going downhill.

I feel a surge of joy and race down the hill. Finally, I'm going to kill a Dragon!

There it is at the bottom of the hill. A sleek, black Dragon tied up the boras' rope. It is whining and writhing in pain. My heart clenches, but I shake it off. This is a Dragon. Their kind killed my mother when I was only a few years old. They've killed thousands of us.

Finally, I'll be a Viking.

I move up to it, making it jerk. Its light green eyes stare back into mine, and I can see the fear in them. My heart clenches again. I lift the dagger. "Dragon, I'm going to kill you, avenge my mother, get Asher, and finally become a Viking!"

It looks at me with its sad eyes, and then relaxes, offering its neck to me. _Stop_! I tell my heart, which is screaming, "Don't do it, Hiccup!" _I'm going to kill this monster._ I lift my dagger higher in the air, and hear its last whimper.

I can't do it.

I kneel next to its head. "Hey there, bud. I'm sorry about that." It lifts its head and looks at me, green eyes curious. "I'm gonna let you go, okay? I can't kill you when you're defenseless like this. Could you forgive me?" I start to cut the rope, its eyes never leaving me.

When the Dragon is free, it stands slowly. On his four legs, I am as tall as he is. It sniffs me curiously, eyes wide and curious. It raises its head to my forehead, where the cut is, and licks it tentatively. It then races down the hill, out of sight.

I touch my forehead, still slick with saliva and blood. The cut is already healing

It helped me.

()()

When I get back to the village, Asher is waiting. I jump out of my skin when I see him. "A-Asher! W-W-What are you d-doing?" Damn my stutter!

He is picking his nails casually with his dagger. "I saw you leave town, so I decided to wait. You've been gone a long time, Hiccup." He points the dagger at me, not in a threatening way, but an inquiring way. "Where were you?"

"Uhm, n-nowhere! I was just out for a stroll, you know! It's such a nice day, you know!" My hand flies to my forehead to see if the cut is healed over, and then curse myself.

Asher notices and pushes my bangs aside. He gapes at the cut, presumably healing itself in front of his eyes. "What's this?" he demands. "Why is it healing so fast?"

I begin to stutter again, my default mode when I'm lying or nervous. "Uh, I accidentally tripped in the forest. You know me, klutzy, klutzy, klutzy!" I laugh nervously.

He doesn't buy it. "Why is it healing so fast? It's almost gone now."

I smack his hand, shocking him. I use this to my advantage. "Leave it, Asher! I've got to get home now!" I push past him and run to my house.

When I get inside, I fall to the ground and put my hand to my forehead. It burns where Asher touched it.

Oh, Thor help me.

I jump when I hear my father clear his throat. "D-Dad!" I exclaim guiltily. "H-How long have you been home?"

"Not long," he grunts, uncomfortable. "Uh, Hiccup, I need t' talk t' ye."

Oh, no. Usually when he tries to "talk" to me, it is divided into two topics: "Girl talk," which consisted of him fumbling around as he tried to explain how girls changed compared to boys, and "Dragon talk," which consisted of him trying to teach her the important of killing Dragons. I wonder which he's trying to do now as I nod and sit on the floor next to him.

He says, "Well, Gobber an' I were talkin', and he thinks that the reason yer not like the other kids is because I kept ye inside durin' the raids. So, yer goin' to Dragon Trainin'."

My heart sunk. I was about to be trained to kill Dragons when I just freed one not an hour ago. "Uh, Dad—" I try to start, but he interrupts.

"I'm goin' to go on one last search fer the Dragons' Nest afore winter rears its head. By th' time I get back, I want you to be…not failing."

"Uh, Dad, I don't think I can _kill_ Dragons."

"Of course ye can, with a bit o' trainin' in ye."

"I am almost completely sure I _cannot_ kill a Dragon."

"Ye can. Do we have a deal?"

"This conversation feels really one-sided."

"Deal?" This time, his voice is full of authority. I don't have an option.

"Deal," I agree quietly.

**In the next chapter: Dragon Training starts and Hiccup is ostracized by her peers. See you soon!**


	3. Dragon Training

Dragon Training

The next day, I say goodbye to my father. "Be safe," I order him, knowing he won't.

He laughs loudly and places a sturdy hand on my shoulder. "We're Vikings, Hiccup. It's an occupational hazard." He kisses my forehead, where in the last twenty-four hours I had been licked by a Dragon and touched by the boy I have a crush on. "Ye be careful in trainin', ye hear? I couldn't stand it if ye got hurt."

"I will, Dad," I promise. I wait until the boats disappear before I make my way to the arena.

I am unfortunate enough to meet up with the rest of the village kids. I avoid looking at Asher the entire trudge to the arena, which is an impressive feat.

Fishlegs, the only tolerable one of the bunch, hangs in the back with me. "I am _so_ excited!" he gushes excitedly. "I've already memorized the Book of Dragons! I'm _so_ going to be the one to kill that Horrendous Nightmare!"

I seriously doubt it. Fishlegs is, to put it nicely, pudgy. His mop of blond hair is always messy, and he smells vaguely of pig fat. I'll be impressed if he beats even one Dragon in the ring.

Asher, on the other hand…he'll _definitely_ be the one who gets to kill the Nightmare. Not even my dear cousin Snotlout, who is a very strong boy, can top Asher in a hand-to-hand fight.

Me? I'll be lucky not to get killed.

We reach the arena and step inside. Gobber awaits us cheerily. "Welcome t' Dragon Trainin'!" he bellows. "Here, ye'll learn how t' defeat th' Deadly Nadder."

"Speed 8, armor 16-"says Fishlegs.

"Th' Hideous Zippleback,"

"-11 stealth-times 2-"

"Th' Monstrous Nightmare."

"-Fire-power 15-"

"Th' Terrible Terror."

"-Attack 8, venom 12-"

"Would ye stop that?" yells Gobber at the chubby boy. "And th' Gronkle."

"Jaw strength 8," Fishlegs whispers to me.

"Shut up," I hiss back.

Gobber lifts the lever of the door with the Gronkle behind it. Snotlout worriedly says, "Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first?" My cousin is _so _brave, isn't he?

The older man grins at us in a way I have learned to be wary of. "I believe in learnin' on th' job," is all he says before he releases the Gronkle.

It's an ugly bugger, in my opinion. Its body looks a bit like a caterpillar's, but the color is uneven and lumps litter the four round sections of his body. Its yellow eyes are narrowed accusingly at us, his horribly sharp teeth bared. Its wings were like a bat's, small and leathery.

"What's th' first thing ye' need when yer fightin' a Dragon?" Gobber asks as the Gronkle zooms at us.

"A doctor?" I guess sarcastically.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs tries.

"A shield!" Asher yells confidently, diving for the shield rack.

The rest of us follow as Gobber continues his lesson. "Yer shield is yer most important piece o' equipment. If ye have t' choose between a sword or a shield, take th' shield."

I struggle to equip my shield, weighed down by my too-big axe Dad bought me. I vaguely hear the twins fighting over a shield with skulls on it. As they fight, the Gronkle shoots at them

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, yer out. Ev'ry Dragon has a limited number of shots," Gobber continues. "How many does a Gronkle have?"

My idiot cousin calls out, "Five?"

"No, six!" Fishlegs corrects.

"Right, Fishlegs. That's one for each o' ye!" Gobber seems absolutely delighted at the prospect. The Gronkle blasts Fishlegs off his fat ass. "Fishlegs-out!"

I try to cover myself with my shield. Gobber sees this and yells, "Hiccup! Get in there!" I nod reluctantly and move to join Asher and Snotlout.

Asher quickly rolls away from the Gronkle and ends up in front of Snotlout, who is, quite obviously, trying to impress my crush. I can't hear him, but I know, for a fact, that it's something stupid. Asher rolls out of the way of another blast, which hits Snotlout. I can't say I'm sorry.

Asher lands next to me. "So…you and me, huh?" I ask nervously.

"Nope, just you." He rolls again—he does that a _lot_, huh?—as the Gronkle charges me. It blasts me, but since I have my shield in front of me, only the circular piece of wood is harmed.

"One shot left!" Gobber announces.

I run after my shield, which seems intent on staying away from me. Too late, I realize that the Gronkle isn't quite finished with me.

I can feel the heat in its mouth as it prepares to fire.

"Hiccup!" Gobber cries, leaping in to the ring. His hook moves the Dragon just in time for it to fire. "That's six! Go back to bed, ye overgrown sausage. Ye'll get yer chance again, don't ye worry."

The rest of the students turn to glare at me as Gobber addresses the class. "Remember, class. A Dragon will _always_ go for the kill."

()()

"So, why didn't you?" I ask the long-gone dragon as I hold the bolas, heavy in my hand. My mind is still reeling from this morning's lesson.

I'm not a Viking. I had a Dragon _in my hands_ and I let it go away—I _helped_ it get away! I asked it for _forgiveness!_ My father would be ashamed.

I can't help myself; my eyes wander to where I saw the Dragon run to yesterday. My body moves on its own to the tip of a small canyon, and I jump the log.

There it is.

The Night Fury is trying to fly.

_Trying_ being the key word. Every time it tries to take off, it merely gets a few feet off the ground and falls again. I pull my notebook out and start to sketch the beast.

I accidentally drop my pencil, alerting the Dragon of my position. It looks up at me with wide eyes.

I look back.

It scurries to the edge and jerks its head down—it wants me down there. I comply, leaping to the ground next to it. The Dragon nudges my hand, making my laugh and start to tentatively stroke it. It purrs.

I continue drawing it and realize why it can't fly. Half of its fin is missing.

That's my fault.

I retreat while he's not looking.

()()

By the time I get to the Great Hall for dinner, I am soaked through by the salty rain falling. As I walk in, Gobber is saying, "Where did Asher go wrong today?"

Asher answers, "I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble."

"We noticed," Tuffnut says in an irritating way. I want to throw my fork at his head.

Snotlout is sucking up again. "It was so 'Asher,' though!"

"Ye've got t' be tough on yerselves," Gobber agrees. "Now, where did Hiccup go wrong?" he asks, noticing me.

Damn you, Gobber.

"Uh, she showed up," Ruffnut says nastily.

"She didn't get eaten." That was Tuffnut. He's really testing my patience tonight.

"She doesn't know what to do or where to be," Asher answers calmly, sending an unreadable look my way. I try to smile back, but I'm sure it looks more like a grimace.

Gobber nods. "Thank you, Asher." He then pulls a book out from nowhere and slams it on the table. I don't want to know. "Th' Dragon Manual. Ye need to eat, breathe, and _live_ this stuff."

"You mean…_read?_" Tuffnut asks, absolutely repulsed.

"While we're still _alive?_" Ruffnut finishes.

"Why read when you can kill the stuff the words tell you about?" Snotlout demands.

Fishlegs starts in on us about how cool the book is—which, in all honesty, doesn't sound very cool—repulsing the twins even more. The twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout leave the Great Hall, and I uneasily look at Asher. "So, I guess we'll share?" I offer.

He stands and pushes the book towards me. "Read it."

"Goodie. I have it all to myself," I say sarcastically.

I open the book and begin to read.

Every entry ends with the same line: "Extremely dangerous, kill on sight." I am a bit conflicted about this. The Night Fury didn't seem very dangerous to me.

I finally got to the Night Fury page. I read aloud, "Speed: unknown. Size: unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this Dragon. Your only hope: hide and pray it doesn't find you."

Thunder claps outside. I pull my notebook from my bag and flip it to the page with the drawing of the Night Fury.

**In the next chapter: Asher unknowingly violates Hiccup, who takes refuge in talking to the Night Fury. See you soon!**


	4. Toothless

Toothless

The next day, we focus on the Deadly Nadder. The twins are fighting, as always; this time, over them choosing the same blind spot. They are blasted by the Nadder, and Gobber makes a snide remark.

The Nadder is walking atop the maze someone has assembled in the arena. I hang back by where Gobber stands and watches. "So, there wasn't anything in the book about Night Furies—"

I am interrupted when the Nadder sends a fireball my way. I duck into the maze.

Gobber bellows, "Today is all about ATTACK!"

I quietly watch Asher for a few moments before I move back to Gobber. "About blind spots…do Night Furies have them?"

"No one's met one an' lived t' tell th' tale. Now, GET IN THERE!"

I see Asher and Snotlout trying to sneak past the Nadder by rolling behind their shields. I try to copy, but I don't have enough momentum and my shield falls. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Asher facepalm.

The Nadder turns its attention to me. I run behind the wall again. The Nadder jumps on the maze and spots my cousin and my crush. Snotlout says something—probably stupid—and throws his hammer at the Dragon. It flies a few feet away from the Nadder, who looks at Snotlout and starts laughing. My cousin tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his idol, who ignores him.

Asher jumps onto the wall and starts to run. Just when the Nadder is about to blast him, he jumps off—

-and lands on me.

His axe gets stuck in my shield, and his hand is caught of my belt. I hear Tuffnut call out, "Look at the lovebirds!"

Ruffnut doesn't help my flaming face as she says snidely, "He could do better."

Like I didn't know that.

Asher is trying to pull his axe out of my shield. I try to get him to stop and let me do it, since I work at the smith, but he puts his hand on my chest to help pull it out. My face goes cherry red, and Fishlegs, who lingers near me like always, is gaping. I can also hear Gobber's sharp intake of breath.

Asher ignores this and swings the axe—still in my shield—at the Nadder. It connects, and the Dragon passes out. He rounds back on me and says, "Is this a joke to you?" I can tell he's about to continue, but he sees that my arms are crossed protectively over my chest and tears have sprung up in my eyes. He reaches down to help me up. "Oh, I'm sorry—"

"How did you not notice?" Snotlout asks. "I mean, _look _at those jugs!" My face heats again at the perverse comment my cousin makes.

"Yeah," Tuffnut agrees. "I mean, compared to Hiccup, Ruffnut's a board!" He's knocked out by his twin not a moment later.

Fishlegs, who is the only person that acts friendly towards me, steps in front of my with his arms spread out. "Leave her alone, you assholes!" He helps me stand, sends a glare towards Asher, and leads me up to Gobber.

()()

I let myself cry when I got to the canyon. The Dragon sniffs around me, looking for the fish I have under my vest. I pull it out and give it to him. His mouth is clear of teeth. "Huh," I say shakily, wiping tears from my eyes. "I could have sworn you had…" His teeth pop out of his gums and he swallows the fish. "…teeth," I finish.

I resume my sob fest. The Dragon notices this. I hear a _hik, hik, hik,_ and, suddenly, the tail end of the fish is on my lap. It's disgusting, but I start to cry harder. Without hesitation, I take a bite out of the fish and swallow, smiling shakily at the Dragon.

He smiles back, a toothless smile.

Toothless.

"I'm gonna call you Toothless," I say between sobs. "Do you like that?"

He cocks his head cutely.

After a few moments, I pick up a twig and begin to doodle in the dirt. I draw Asher and point to the picture. "That's Asher. He violated me today, and he didn't even notice!" I look at my chest. "Do you think my chest is okay?" I ask. A moment later, I feel foolish. Why should I ask a Dragon about my bust?

Toothless, however, looks at it curiously and nods.

I smile at him gratefully. I want to touch him, but I don't want to press my luck.

"Thank you, Toothless," I say. I draw Fishlegs. "This guy stopped the others from making fun of me after what Asher did," I explain to him. "He's a…friend, I guess. He's the only guy who doesn't treat me like a reject."

Toothless, who had been watching the twig, races to a tree and snaps off a branch. He then uses his "twig" to draw in the dirt. It is just a collection of squiggles, but it amazes me. He is mimicking me!

When he's satisfied, he drops the branch. I stand and accidentally step on one of the lines. Toothless's eyes narrow. I lift my foot, and his eyes go wide again. I don't test him, and carefully step across the lines.

If he planned that, he is very smart. When I stop moving, I am right in front of Toothless. I hesitantly put my hand out halfway to his snout, and he closes the distance. I look at him with an amazed expression.

He gives me another smile and nudges my hand again.

()()

When I get back to town, I make my way to the smith.

I freeze when I see Asher there.

"I'm tellin' ya, I don't know where she is!" Gobber yells, frustrated. "And, even if I did know, I wouldn't tell ya! What ya did…it hurt her feelings, ya know. If her dad finds out, yer a dead man."

"It was an accident!" Asher insists.

"It didn't hurt her that ya _touched_ her, boy! It hurt that ya didn't notice!"

Asher groans. "Why are girls so complicated?"

"Beats me."

I sneak around the smith and go home.

**In the next chapter: Hiccup tries to let Toothless fly again, and Asher tries to apologize. See you soon!**


	5. A New Tail

A New Tail

We get a break from Dragon Training after the Nadder incident. I laze at home, absentmindedly sketching Toothless in my notebook. I need to make up everything I did to him, but how?

That night, Gobber invites us all to dinner at the newly-constructed watch tower. He begins to tell the tale that I've heard so many times, I could recite it.

"…an' _that's_ when he took my arm!" he cries, so loud I can hear it from the opposite end of the tower. I am sitting away from everyone else on purpose, but Fishlegs decides to sit next to me. "An' I could see the look on its face; I was delicious! He must've passed along th' word, 'cause it wasn't a month before another took my leg!"

Fishlegs calls out, "Isn't it weird to think that your arm is _inside _a Dragon? Like, if you still had control over it, you could kill it from the inside."

My friend is ignored in favor of Snotlout. "Man, I am so angry right now. I will avenge your beautiful arm and your beautiful leg! I'll cut off all the Dragons' legs—with my _face!_"

I facepalm. How was I related to him?

"Nah, it's the _wings_ ye gotta go fer," Gobber says, snapping my attention to him. "If a Dragon can't fly, he can't get away. A downed Dragon is a dead Dragon."

I know now! I leap from my table, nod a goodbye to Fishlegs, and rush down the stairs.

()()

I am at the smith until dawn. I rely on my drawing of Toothless to create a new fin for him.

I am about to sneak out to the canyon when a familiar voice says, "Hey, Hiccup."

I freeze. "A-Asher," I stutter, shaking. I can't shake the feeling of his hand on my breast. "W-What are you doing here?"

Asher looks very uncomfortable. Asher? Uncomfortable? I never thought I would use those two words in the same sentence, unless I was contrasting their meanings. "I, uh, wanted to apologize…you know, for what happened in the ring the other day."

I flush. "Thanks for reminding me," I growl. The fin is tucked under my arm, and I move to push past him.

He catches my wrist, and I recoil. "Don't touch me!" I snap. "It's not like you'll notice the difference or anything!" Tears in my eyes, I run to my house to get my bag. I needed something to distract Toothless while I got his tail on.

I needed something to distract me.

()()

"Toothless!" I call into the canyon. "Are you hungry?" I set the heavy bag of seafood on the ground and kick it over as my Dragon comes running up. He nudges me hello before he sets in on his breakfast. "Okay, we've got salmon, cod, some smoked eel—"

Toothless suddenly rears back. I dig through the pile of fish to find the eel. I hold up the offending creature, making the Dragon hiss. I quickly toss it in the lake. "No more eel. Good call—it's nasty." As he starts to eat again, I move around him. I get to his tail and set down my half. Just as I almost get it on, it moves.

I scoot to where it moves and try again.

It moves further.

I send a searing glare at the back of the Dragon's head. I wrestle the thing on. His body tenses seconds before he takes off.

I scream as we launch into the air. He starts to fall, and I whip open my half of the tail. We stay aloft for a few more moments before crashing into the pond. When I resurface, I fistpump, letting out a whoop of victory. "We did it!" I cheer, making Toothless cock his head. "We made it in the air!" When he starts to scream too, I fall backwards into the pond, laughing.

I land on that stupid eel and get an idea.

()()

"Today is about teamwork!" Gobber bellows from his safe position. A Zippleback has already spewed his gas. "One head spews gas, one head ignites it. Your job is t' find th' right head and throw th' water on it."

We are divided into teams. Thankfully, Gobber has put me with Fishlegs. Tuffnut and Snotlout have already screwed up, throwing their water on Asher and Ruffnut. Asher punches Tuffnut in the face for something he did.

Fishlegs automatically starts to break it down. "Specializes in sneak attacks. Teeth inject venom for pre-digestion."

I hiss at him, "You are _freaking me out_, Fishlegs!"

He smiles shyly. "Sorry, Hiccup."

Tuffnut suddenly howls and runs past us, yelling, "I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" I roll my eyes.

My friend whispers, "Chances of surviving are dwindling to single digits now." A head pops out at us, and Fishlegs throws his bucket.

The head spits more smoke.

"Wrong head," he chuckles nervously.

The smoke covers Fishlegs, who runs away, screaming. "Fishlegs!" Gobber hollers. "Go, Hiccup!"

I see the other head and attempt to throw the water on it. It doesn't even touch the Dragon.

The Zippleback growled at me, making me back up quickly. Gobber called my name in a scared manner and prepared to leap into the ring.

I open my vest a little and let the Zippleback see the eel. It rears back, hissing. "Back to your cage with you!" I yell, making shooing motions with my hands. "Get back!"

It goes back through the door, and I throw the eel in it for good measure before I close and lock it. When I turn around, my classmates are gaping. "Uh, are we done now? 'Cause, I've got some things I need to do." When Gobber nods, I bolt out the door and to the forge.

**In the next chapter: More training, Hiccup gets some more attention from the village boys, and Asher starts to get suspicious. See you soon!**


	6. Successful Training

Successful Training

When I get to the forge, I begin to work on making a saddle for Toothless. If I continue to ride bareback—on his tail—there's no way I'll survive. It takes quite a while, and the sun is high in the sky before I am done. I race to the canyon and call out to Toothless again. "Look what I got for you!" I bribe.

Toothless gets a mischievous look is his eye and starts to run. He is too fast for me, which he quickly realizes. He stops and allows me to get the saddle on. I tie a string from the fin to the saddle for me to control.

When we try flying again, I tug on it too hard and he falls.

We fall into the lake again, and I groan. When Toothless comes over and starts to rub me, though, I get happier. "Thanks, sweetie."

I take the saddle off and return to the forge, still soaking wet. When I'm there, I spend the rest of the day making a harness to keep me strapped on the saddle while we're in the air.

The next morning, Toothless and I try another test flight. We get a bit further this time, but we fall again, this time landing in a field of soft grass. When I locate Toothless, he is rolling around in pure ecstasy in the grass. I nickname the new plant "Dragon Nip" and decide to bring some to training that day.

The Gronkle zooms at me, and I hold out the piece of Dragon Nip. It freezes and falls to the ground happily just as Asher is about to chop it in half with his axe.

We all leave the arena, and Tuffnut refuses to leave my side. "Man, that was amazing, Hiccup!" he praises, putting an arm across my shoulder. "I didn't know you had in in you!" Then he grins slyly at me, making my shiver slightly. "Wanna see my ta-birthmark? Or I can show you other things…"

"I left my axe in the ring!" I say suddenly, surprising him. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" I run quickly towards the arena.

I go back to the canyon. Toothless is whimpering and trying to scratch himself. I smile at him and go to scratch his itch for him. He starts to purr, and I scratch harder. When I get under his chin, he passes out. I am tired too, so I curl up with him and go to sleep.

()()

The next day in Training, we meet the Nadder again. I can see now that the only reason they're fighting is that they're scared. When I see Asher rushing towards it with his axe, I start to scratch the Dragon under the chin. It passes out, and Asher stares at me curiously.

At dinner that night, after I fed Toothless, I went to the Great Hall to eat. I sit at the table Fishlegs is at, and we start to discuss Dragon Training. "I've never seen Dragons do that!" he gushes across the table, eyes alit. "How did you do it, Hiccup?"

I try to smile at him. "Maybe I'll tell you someday," I say.

The table shakes as the rest of our classmates surround us. Well, except for Asher. He is still sitting at the other table, and he glares at me. Or perhaps he's glaring at Tuffnut, who is sitting too close to me for comfort.

()()

The next day as I play with Toothless, my hammer catches the light. The Dragon focuses on the little spot of light created by my hammer. I giggle and make it move, watching as he jumps and leaps and tries to catch the light.

At Training, we are introduced to the Terrible Terror. It waddles out of the doggy door and Tuffnut laughs. "It's like the size of my—AHH!"

The Terror latches onto his face before he can make a vulgar comment. He is screaming loudly.

I use the metal on my shield to make a beam of light. The Terror sees it, leaps off his face, and chases it back into the doggy door, and I hold it shut with my foot. Snotlout whispers something to Asher, whose face flushes with anger.

()()

I am walking through the forest to get to Toothless when I see Asher throwing his axe at the trees. Without thinking, I say, "Be careful. The trees in this forest are nasty little buggers."

Asher's head whipped around, his blonde hair lifting like a halo. "Hiccup? What are you doing out here?"

I curse my mouth. "I'm just…on a walk! You know, it's such a nice day and all." I laugh nervously.

Asher moves closer to me, and I flinch back. I still remember his violation. He freezes and looks away. "Look, Hiccup, I'm really sorry about what happened. It was a complete accident, and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

I look at him. "I'm not mad about you _touching_ me, Asher." Under my breath I mumble, "I kinda liked that part," before continuing. "What I'm upset about is that you acted like it was a guy's chest. Girls are really sensitive about their chests, Asher. Even Ruffnut would've been upset—you saw how she hit Tuffnut when he insulted her bust!"

Asher looks taken aback. "It wasn't that I didn't notice. In the heat of battle, I just didn't have time to process it."

"That still doesn't excuse what you did."

"What can I do to make it up to you, Hiccup?"

I pretend to think. "You can go back to the village and not follow me." I don't wait for his response and run towards Toothless.

()()

I tie the saddle to a tree trunk and mount Toothless. My idea is to see how I control which direction Toothless flies when I adjust the fin.

It is fine at first. I'm getting the hang of moving my foot and changing the fin's position. But then the rope breaks, and Toothless and I are blasted backwards against the wind. When I try to unlatch myself, I find that it is stuck. I groan. "C'mon, sweetie. We've gotta go to town and get us unstuck."

We wait until the cover of nightfall and sneak into town. We barely dodge a guard, and I guide him to the smith, where all of my tools are.

As I am working on the latch, I hear a familiar voice call, "Hiccup?"

SHIT! I "shh" Toothless and leap through the window, slamming it closed so Asher can't see into the shop. "Asher! Hi! Hi, Asher. Hi."

He raises a brow at my stuttering. "What are you doing here so late?" he demands.

"I'm, uh…working on something!"

"In the middle of the night?" He doesn't sound convinced.

"Yeah! It's a secret!" I put my finger to my lips, and I see his eyes linger there before he looks back up at me. "So, uh, don't tell anyone, okay?"

He nods, and Toothless yanks me back into the shop. I mount him and we fly back to the canyon before anyone can notice him.

**In the next chapter: Toothless and Hiccup successfully get in the air, and Stoic returns to some strange news. See you soon!**


	7. Everything is Wrong

Everything is Wrong

The next day, I race to the canyon as soon as I wake up, cheat sheet in hand. Today is the day we will finally get in the air.

I waste no time mounting Toothless and pinning the cheat sheet to the saddle. "You ready, Toothless?" I ask.

The Dragon nods.

"Let's go, sweetie."

I open the fin, and he takes off.

It's amazing.

Flying is absolutely amazing. It's almost as if nothing else matters—not my father, who will be returning today; not Asher, who I still have feelings for, even after everything he's done. It's just me and Toothless.

I can touch the clouds!

I am not paying attention, and Toothless hits a pillar. "Oh, sorry, sweetie!" I cry, trying to steer us back on course. We hit another one, and he slaps me with his ear. "I'm sorry. It's my fault, sweetie."

I straighten us out, and he takes us higher and higher. "WHOO! GO, TOOTHLESS, GO!" I scream, laughing. He complies, and I don't notice the cheat sheet fall off. I can see the Viking fleet arriving in the port, but I don't care.

After a while, I get too excited. He jerks to a stop, and the inertia causes me to fall off. "TOOTHLESS! SAVE ME!" I cry. My Dragon notices my absence and swoops to my rescue. I whoop again, and we decide to land to rest.

I begin to cook some fish for myself while Toothless gulps his raw. I hear a little screech and suddenly three Terrors are sharing the space with us. They look hungry.

Toothless ignores them and gives me another half of a fish he just ate. I smile at him reassuringly. "I've got some fish cooking for me, sweetie. How about you share with the little guys?"

He seems reluctant, but he complies to my wishes. The Terrors screech happily and devour a few of the fish, and one comes and cuddles up to me, sleepily purring. I stoke its head and say, "Everything we know about you guys…is wrong."

()()

When I get home, my father is home. "Hi, Dad," I say, giving him a hug.

He hugs me back proudly. "Gobber tells me ye've been excellin' in Dragon Trainin'," he says, and I freeze.

"Uh, yeah, about that—"

"I'm so proud o' ya!" he says proudly, wrapping me in another bear hug. "Yer growin' up t' be just like yer mother!"

I can't believe he went there.

I nod at him. "Thank you, Dad. But—"

"Yer livin' up t' yer end o' the deal and more!" he continues. "I never thought ya would do _this_ good. Oh, Hiccup, ye've made me a very proud man." He hugs me again.

"Uh—"

"I want t' give ya something," he says. He hands me a helmet that matches his.

My eyes water. "Dad—"

"It's made out o' yer mother's breastplate. Helps keep her close, ye know."

I suddenly want to give it back, but I just smile at him.

How can I tell him about Toothless? He'd never listen and, even if he does, he'll just kill Toothless and exile me!

Everything is wrong.

** In the next chapter: Hiccup tries to run away, but a certain someone convinces her to wait. See you soon!**


	8. Leaving

Leaving

I don't mean to beat the Gronkle!

It recognized me as the girl with the sweet-smelling grass and flew right over to me, passed out, and stuck its tongue out. I still remember Asher's shocked face as he looked from the sleeping Dragon to me.

Gobber was proud as Gothi pointed to me instead of Asher. "Congratulations, Hiccup!"

"Yeah, that's great. I'm so—"

"—leaving, we're leaving," I say to Toothless. "Get ready, sweetie. We're going on a little vacation…permanently." I give my Dragon a peck on the forehead. "I'm just going to go pack and we'll be out of here, okay?"

Toothless nodded and watched as I left the canyon, heading back to the village. Thankfully, my father is not in the house as I stuff my biggest knapsack full of clothes, supplies, and fishing equipment. The only other thing I put in my bag is a family portrait, the only picture that has my father, my mother, and me. It was from when I was four. My mother looks a lot like a do now. I feel my eyes fill with tears.

I shake it off. I'll need to be brave in these next few months as Toothless and I try to find a new home.

I throw the bag over my shoulder and leave my house…

…and smack right into Asher.

I look up at him in horror. "Asher!"

"Hello, Hiccup. What's with the bag?" He looks at the bag curiously. I move it protectively behind my body as if it would make a difference.

"Nothing! Don't follow me!" I try to push past him, but he grabs my wrist.

"Are you leaving, Hiccup?" he demands.

The guilt on my face gives it away, as his eyes widen. "Why?" he demands, louder. "You get to kill the Nightmare in front of the village! This is the biggest moment of your life, and you're running away?"

"You wouldn't understand!" I shoot back. "No one is this village will ever understand!" I wrench my wrist from him with a power I didn't know I had. "Just leave me alone, Asher!"

"No, I won't!" He grabs me again. "Why are you leaving? Is it a guy? Someone from another village?"

"No! Of course not!" I yell. "Why would you think that, Asher? There's only one guy, and he's—" I stop before I say anything else, and run away from him.

()()

I only slow down when I'm part way through the forest. No matter how fast Asher is, he doesn't know the forest like I do.

Or, so I think.

As I approach the canyon, I feel Asher's vice-like grip on my shoulder, and I cry out. "Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me why you're leaving!" he answers. He turns me around and forces his lips on mine.

At first, I stiffen, but I relax when I feel how gently he's holding me—embracing me, now. I open my lips for him and wrap my arms around his neck, melting into him. When we separate, he pulls me back toward him and holds me in his strong arms protectively. "I love you, Hiccup. I have for a long time. I'm not gonna let you just…just _leave _like this!"

I return his embrace. "Oh, Asher, I'm so happy right now," I tell him, snuggling into his chest. "But…I can't stay." I pull back and look him in the eye. "There's something that I can't do here, and someone is relying on me to do it. Could you forgive me?"

His face contorts. "Why? Please tell me, Hiccup!"

"I…I'd have to show you for you to believe me. But you have to promise me something, Asher," I say. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone in the village about this. Do you promise?"

"Anything, Hiccup."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Follow me."

I hop into the canyon, and Asher freaks out before he sees that I'm okay. When he lands next to me, I call, "Toothless!"

My Dragon runs up to me and nuzzles me.

Asher backs up and puts his hand on my dagger. "Nuh-uh," I chastise. "Toothless, this is Asher. Asher, Toothless."

Toothless growls when he recognizes Asher from the drawing I made of him. Asher is frozen, making me laugh. "Toothless, he's okay now." I turn to Asher and explain, "After the Nadder incident, I came here and drew you in the dirt and told him what you did."

Asher's voice is high-pitched as he says, "Why would you do that?"

I shrug. "He coughed up a fish for me. I told him what happened to me. Equivalent exchange."

Asher groans. "So, you have a pet Dragon?"

"This is the Night Fury I took down. When you left my house that morning, I found him. He licked my forehead when I was hurt—that's why it healed so fast. I found him again, and he couldn't fly because I accidentally tore half of his fin off his tail. I made him a new one, and then I made a saddle…" I trail off.

Asher's eyes are wide. "You…you ride Dragons. My girlfriend can ride Dragons." He falls to the ground, and I laugh, sitting beside him.

"Wanna go for a ride?" I ask.

He doesn't reply, but accepts my hand and gets on the Dragon. "Let's go, sweetie," I murmur.

Toothless takes off, making Asher scream. I laugh and urge my darling Night Fury to go higher, faster, to show Asher what he's missing.

We land at sunset where we met the Terrors. They are still there, and they screech in delight when they see me. Asher is still shell-shocked; so I pick one up and show how affectionate they are to him. "They're not vicious, see! They're just…Dragons. We don't need to be afraid of them!"

Asher hesitantly reaches his hand out to the Terror, who closes the distance and rubs his hand. He laughs nervously. "I'm petting a Dragon. I am _petting_ a _Dragon!_"

I smile at him and gesture for him to sit down with me. "Now do you see why I want to leave?"

He is about to reply when Toothless starts to whimper. The Terrors are taking fish and flying off.

I hop back on Toothless and help Asher into the saddle just as the Dragon takes off.

When I notice many other Dragons also flying with us, I say, "Get down!" to Asher, who complies. "They're hauling in their kill."

"What does that make us?" he asks nervously.

I don't answer.

We reach an island with a cave. Toothless takes us in there and we watch, awed, as the Dragons drop their kill in a pit. "They're not eating _any_ of it!" Asher observes quietly.

A tipsy Gronkle slowly flies past us and vomits a fish into the pit. A moment later, a Dragon I recognize as the Red Death rears its head out of the pit and swallows the Gronkle whole.

Then it notices Toothless.

We bolt, nearly getting swallowed by the Red Death, and fly back to the canyon. We get off Toothless, and Asher grabs my shoulders. The moonlight catches in his hair. "We need to tell Stoic! We found the Dragons' Nest!"

"We can't!" I wail. "If we do, they'll find out about Toothless! They'll catch him and kill him and…who knows what else!"

He hugs me tight in spite of the glare Toothless is giving us over his shoulder. "Are you still leaving?"

"I have to, Asher. Toothless needs me. He can't fly on his own, and he can't stay here, so close to a village of Vikings." I stroke his cheek. "I'll miss you, though."

"At least stay until after the final exam," he pleads. "Maybe we can convince everyone that we don't need to kill them. If it tanks…" he trails off.

I want to tell them that it _will_ tank. But I don't. I nod into his shoulder.

**In the next chapter: Hiccup's final exam goes about as well as you think, and the villagers are shocked to find her secret. See you soon!**


	9. The Final Exam

The Final Exam

I am starting to regret promising to wait.

I am standing at the entrance to the arena, where I have been so many times before. This time, though, is the scariest.

"Be careful out there."

I squeak and turn around to see Asher, looking worried. My heart twists and I embrace him, relaxing when I feel his arms wrap around me. "I don't want to fight him," I whisper as my love strokes my hair. "He's scared, too! I can tell!"

"You're Hiccup," he reminds me, giving me a kiss on the forehead. "You'll figure something out." He bends his mouth down to mine, and I reach up, wrapping my arms around his neck as our lips meet. It isn't long until we are grabbing at each other in a desperate attempt to be closer.

"Stoic's gonna be _pissed_," Gobber sings, causing Asher and I to jump apart. He grins at us and walks off, musing about how it feels to be young again.

I can't stop the laugh that explodes from my mouth. I turn back to Asher and bury my head in his chest. "I love you," I whisper.

"I love you, too," he says back. He gives me a light push towards the ring. "Good luck, Hiccup."

I nod and put my helmet on.

()()

The stands are full of Vikings. Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut stand right behind the rail along with my father and Gobber.

I want to puke.

Gobber releases the Nightmare, a gigantic, ugly Dragon, whose kind killed my mother. I should want to kill it. But…

I can't.

When I look into his eyes, I see fear. He is scared of me, standing there with my shield and dagger. It doesn't want to die. It wants to be free, like a Dragon should be.

I drop my shield and dagger, ignoring the gasps of surprise and fear from the crowd. "It's okay," I say to the Nightmare, slowly approaching it. I glance up at my father, who is looking at me with disbelieving eyes. I take off my helmet and say, "I'm not one of them." I throw the helmet and reach my hand out to the Nightmare. It slowly approaches me.

"Stop the fight!" my father yells.

"No!" I shout back, and then lower my voice when it startles the large Dragon in front of me. "We don't need to fight them! Watch!"

"I said, STOP THE FIGHT!" My father slams his hammer into the rail, scaring the Nightmare. It rears and pins me beneath its gigantic claws.

"Hiccup!" Asher cries. I can't see what he's doing, but a second later, he is in the ring with me. He throws my shield at the Nightmare, making it turn towards him, allowing me to escape. I run to him quickly and let Gobber take care of the rest. It bares its teeth at Gobber, and a scream.

Not a moment later, I hear a whistle in the air I recognize. "Toothless, no!" I yell to the sky.

It's too late, as Toothless breaks into the arena and stands in front of me protectively. "NIGHT FURY!" a Viking calls.

My father leaps into the ring and charges Toothless, who must think he's after me. He growls and prepares to fire. "NO, TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless closes his mouth dutifully and tries to look at me, but my father has already tackled him. I call out, "Dad, no! He thought you were trying to hurt me!" I try to run to my Dragon, but Asher holds me back. "Asher, let go! Toothless needs me!"

"They won't listen!" Asher shoots back. "You can't win this fight, Hiccup."

"I have to try!"

He is startled by my outburst and lets go, giving me the chance to run to where they are tying up my best friend. "Toothless, hold on! I'm coming!"

Gobber, however, catches my waist and drags me out of the arena, tears streaming down my face.

()()

"Dad!" I plead a few moments later. "Please, let me explain! Just let Toothless go!"

Father sounds incredulous when he says, "Th' Dragon? _That's_ what yer worried about?"

"You don't understand!" I say. "Toothless wouldn't hurt you if he didn't think you were going to hurt me! Dragons only attack us because if they don't bring enough food back to the island, the queen will eat them—" I cover my mouth.

"Ye've been t' their island?" Father grabs my shoulders. "Where is it?"

"Only a Dragon can find it!" I blabbed.

His eyes narrow. He calls to a guard, "Tie th' Night Fury up. We're findin' th' island!"

"You have _no_ chance of beating this thing, Dad!" I try to reason. "It is like nothing you've ever seen!"

"Don't talk t' me."

"But, Dad—"

He turns and glares at me as he leaves. "Yer not a Viking. Yer not my daughter." The door slams behind him, and I hunch over and cry.

**In the next chapter: Hiccup devises a plan to save Toothless and the Vikings, but will they get there in time? See you soon!**


	10. Something Crazy

Something Crazy

I stand and watch as the Viking fleet disappears over the horizon. It broke my heart to hear Toothless's wails, but there was nothing I could do.

I didn't turn when I heard a familiar step behind me. "Well, this sucks," Asher says. "You've lost your family, your best friend, and your village. I wouldn't want to be you right now."

"Thanks for summing that up for me, Asher. You're a really great boyfriend," I say sarcastically. I screw my eyes shut and squat, trying to suppress my tears. "Why didn't I just kill that damn Dragon when I had the chance?"

"Yeah," Asher agrees. "Anyone else would've done it. So why didn't you?"

"I couldn't."

"That's not an answer."

I shoot up and glare at the boy I love. "Why is this so important to you?"

He grabs my shoulders. "You've changed the entire way I see the world, Hiccup. I used to think about how it would feel to kill a Dragon in front of the whole village, become a Viking, maybe impress you in the process. But, now, I _want_ a Dragon. I want the bond you and Toothless have. So I want to remember what you say, right now."

I look away. "Because…when I looked into his eyes, I didn't see malice or evil. I saw fear. He was just as scared as I was. When I looked at him…I saw myself."

He nods. "He must be really scared right now. So…"He gives me a sharp look, "what are you going to do about it?"

"Probably something stupid," I shrug.

"Good, but you've already done that." He smiles cockily at me.

"Then, something crazy." I run towards the arena. "Get the others!"

()()

When Asher has gathered everyone, they watch me warily as I release the Nightmare. "Hey there, big guy," I say to it, calming it down. "Nice and easy. You're okay." I reach out blindly behind me to grab my cousin's hand. Snotlout gives a squeak and tries to pull away, but I firmly place it on the Nightmare's snout where my hand once was.

The rest of the group stares at me.

I run to the pile of rope and hold it up proudly. "You'll need something to help you hold on."

Fishlegs, my dear friend, is scared out of his mind. "Y-you want us to r-ride Dragons?"

Asher walks over and wraps an arm around my waist, making me flush and the others gape. "It's actually pretty awesome," he defends.

I shake it off. "Well, Fishlegs! You get the Gronkle!" I pull out some Dragon Nip from my pocket and hand it to him. "This is Dragon Nip. It will help him calm down."

I go to the twins as Fishlegs stutters. I pull some fish out of my bag and hand one to each. "You two get the Zippleback. If you feed a fish to each head, they'll grow on you."

Finally, I turned back to Asher. "You get the Nadder. You just need to approach it slowly and it won't see you as a threat." Asher nods and goes to unlock the Nadder's cage.

I help Snotlout strap in on his Nightmare. When everyone else is on, I hop on the back of the Nadder and wrap my arms around Asher's torso. He looks back at me with fearful eyes. "What about you?"

I shrug. "The first time I was in the air, I was bareback on Toothless's _tail._"

I count to three, and we take off.

()()

When we reach the Dragons' Nest, the Red Death is already rearing its ugly head. The Nadder sends a blast at it, and every Viking on the island turns to look at us.

"Twins, watch your back!" I holler. "Move, Fishlegs!"

Snotlout waves to the astonished Vikings below. "We're on Dragons! All of us!"

"Keep your distance, everyone! Up!" They all follow my command. "Fishlegs, break it down!"

Fishlegs take a second to analyze it. "Okay, heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing. Steer clear of both. Small eyes, large nostrils. Relies on hearing and smell."

"Okay, you and Snotlout stay in its blind spot. Make noise to keep it confused. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, see if this thing has a shot limit. Make it mad."

Ruffnut says proudly, "That's my specialty."

"Since when?" Tuffnut protests. "Everyone knows I'm the more annoying one. See?" He flips upside down and starts to make stupid noises.

"Focus!" I snap. "Do your job and don't get killed! If it gets too dangerous, retreat."

"Go it, Boss!" Ruffnut calls back.

"Be careful!" Fishlegs orders.

Asher steers the Nadder towards the ship and my eyes scan the fleet. Come on, Toothless, give me a sign.

Suddenly, I hear a cry. Toothless! "A little more!" I say to Asher. We finally get above Dad's ship and I turn to him. "That's the ship."

He turns his head and kisses me. "Be careful, Hiccup."

"I will," I promise. "Go help the others!"

I leap off the Nadder and onto Dad's ship. I try to wrestle my Dragon out of his bindings, but to no avail. I only manage to get the first layer off before the Red Death smashes the boat with its tail. We start to sink, and I have an idea.

I pull my bobby pin out of my hair and pick the lock on Toothless's yoke. He immediately picks me up and we shoot out of the water. When we hit dry land, we are right in front of my dad. "Be careful," he orders, pride and fear warring in his eyes.

"I will, Dad." I hop on Toothless, and we shoot into the sky.

I hear Asher yell, "She's up! Get Snotlout out of there!"

The twins rescue my stupid cousin from the back of the Red Death as I circle the gargantuan Dragon from above. "That thing has wings, Toothless," I say. "Let's see if it can use them."

Toothless shoots a fireball at Red Death, who roars and lifts in the air. "That answers that question. Let's go, Toothless!"

We fly higher and higher in the air, leading the Red Death into the clouds where it can't hurt the others.

When we get in the clouds, Red Death can't see us. Angered, it shoots fire in every direction. One stray spark hits Toothless's tail and the fin catches on fire. "Come on, sweetie, just a bit longer," I soothe as Toothless get scared. Toothless nods and continues flying.

"Now, Toothless!"

He turns around just as Red Death opens its mouth. One fireball later, the Red Death is no more.

The fin is long gone. Since I am riding bareback, I start to fall into the flames, and the last thing I see is Toothless's determined face as he tried to save me.

**In the next chapter: Everything is wrapped up. See you soon!**


	11. Dragons

Dragons

I wake up…

…and see Toothless in my house.

"Toothless!" I cry, bolting out of bed. Something seems weird about my sight. I can see about half of what I usually do. "Why are you in my house?" I demand.

He playfully nudges me and starts jumping around, knocking various knick knacks over. "No, Toothless, don't—" I cringe as I hear a CRASH! "Dad is not gonna be happy."

I try to stand, but my legs are weak, and I trip. Toothless steadies me, and he helps me to the door.

I swing it open and see a Nightmare.

I slam the door. "Stay in here, Toothless," I order, and step into the sunlight.

"Let's go!" Snotlout cries happily, riding Hookfang into the sky. Meatlug, Barf and Belch follow shortly, all accompanied by their riders.

"I knew it. I'm dead."

My father pats me hard on the shoulder from the left, and I don't see it coming. "No, but ye gave it yer best shot."

I turn around and throw myself into my father's arms. "Dad!"

He chuckles and returns my embrace. "Are you okay, Hiccup?"

I'm about to answer when a Viking yells, "Hiccup!" The crowd of villagers chant my name loudly. I am completely in shock.

Suddenly, I feel a light slap on my left shoulder. "Ow, Asher!" Before I can say any more, he grabs my waist and kisses me, long and deep. I still can't see out of my left eye, but I return his kiss. In the background, I can hear my father's howl of protest.

When we pull away, he frowns at me and pulls me into his arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Hiccup! I mean it!" I can feel a few salty tears hit the top of my head.

"Night Fury!"

Toothless leaps over the crowd of laughing Vikings and lands next to Asher and me. His tail curls around us, and I pat the scaly appendage.

"How are ye, Hiccup?" Gobber asks, pushing through the crowd. "Can ye see alright through one eye?"

"Huh?" I reach my and to my left eye…

…and find a gaping crater covered by an eye patch.

"Yer eye was blown out by the Red Death's fire, lass. I made it t' match yer new tail fin fer Toothless," Gobber continues, holding up a red fin with a skull and crossbones on it.

I grab it greedily and start to attach it to Toothless's tail as I turn to Asher. "Ready to go for a fly?" he asks, wiping his eyes.

I nod, but my father grabs the back of his shirt. "Ye'll have t' wait until we have a little talk, son," he says to Asher menacingly. The boy's face goes pale, and I can't help but giggle.

"Calm down, Dad," I soothe, putting a hand on his arm. "Asher is a gentleman."

Dad growls but sets my love down. "I'll take yer word fer it, but I'll be talkin' t' ye soon, boy."

Asher gulps. "Y-Yes, sir."

I grab his arm. "Come on, let's go!"

_This is Berk. The food that grows here is tough and tasteless._

Asher helps me mount Toothless before he mounts Stormfly.

_The people are even more so._

We take off, catching up to our friends quickly.

_The only upside is the pets. Some places have cats, dogs, or parrots, but we have…Dragons!_


End file.
